Retail & Hospitality

Robots are entering our daily lives through retail stores, restaurants, shopping malls, airports, and hospitals. From service and "emotionally aware" robots to those designed to help people move or carry things, we follow robots in retail.

The host country of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games is one of the most friendly to automation. See how South Korean robot guides, cleaners, and vehicles demonstrate the country's emerging tech leadership.

The SecondHands project is developing a humanoid robot to work alongside people in Ocado's warehouses. The team discusses its ambitious schedule, desirable tasks to automate, and the path to commercialization.

Our columnist brings his international perspective to the latest robot applications shown at iRex 2017 in Tokyo. Machine learning, service robots, and Society 5.0 all have implications for automation beyond Japan.